Customer Reviews

Crosstime

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The first book in this volume, "Crossroads of Time" is, in my mind, THE classic novel of multiple probability worlds. When Andre Norton wrote this, her ideas of what COULD be ranged farther afield than anybody else had at the time, and even fifty years after it was published, those ideas are still more imaginative than the "Roman Empire Survived" or the "South Won the War of Northern Aggression" that have become staples of such things. It was an exciting and innovative story of a young man who may or may not be from OUR Earth caught up in a police operation that ranges through worlds much like ours to the utterly bizarre, and who must survive at all costs lest the peace of our world be destroyed by a madman who makes Stalin the Murderous look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. The book's ending is one I've never been able to forget, and even before I re-read the story in this volume, I could still quote the last few paragraphs practically word-for-word.

The second book, "Quest Crosstime" was the sequel, and now Blake Walker is a Wardsman (cross-time policeman) among the people who took him in at the end of "Crossroads." He must deal with a vicious plot to take over the crosstime-travelers and turn them into an inter-temporal version of the Mongol Horde. It was also fun to read, but it felt a bit flimsier than "Crossroads."

"Crossroads of Time" makes this book worth buying and reading, and the sequel is frosting on a VERY well-made cake.

I first read this book in high school back in the early 1960's. Of course, it was two books then. As usual Andre Norton has done an outstanding job and this omnibus edition was a great reminder of the stories. The first book in the omnibus was one of the first books I read which dealt with Cross Time travel, what we call alternate history today. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Crosstime (2008) is an SF omnibus edition of the Crosstime series, including The Crossroads in Time and Quest Crosstime. These novels are about travel between alternate timelines and feature Blake Walker, an orphan found in an alley.

The Crossroads of Time (1956) is the first novel in this series. Blake is an entering art student at Havers who is staying in a hotel prior to registering at the school. Since both of his foster parents are now dead, he has no known kin.

Blake has a premonition that something dangerous is about to occur in his vicinity and, when it peaks, he is drawn to the corridor. After easing the door open, he finds a man holding a gun on another man who is unlocking the room across the way. Blake grabs the gunman's throat and yanks his head back, providing the other man with an opportunity to knock the gunman unconscious.

The rescued man introduces himself as Kittson, an FBI agent. Soon, two of Kittson's associates come and take away the gunman. Shortly thereafter, someone identifying himself as a hotel security officer knocks on Blake's door, but Kittson tells Blake to say that he is going to check with the desk and the stranger goes away.

Since someone is obviously curious about the recent events, Kittson takes Blake with him when he leaves. They travel to a loft apartment atop a warehouse, where Blake finds three other men in addition to Kittson. Apparently, these men are doing a great deal of reading, for piles of books -- with numerous bookmarks -- are all around the living room.

Jason Saxton claims that the books are part of his hobby -- the study of history -- and turns the conversation to the subject of decision points in history which cause diverging timelines. Later, Blake is awakened to find Kittson injured and being helped into another bedroom. The next day, that bedroom is locked and then someone or something comes up the elevator to the outside door and sends a mental presence into the room, attacking Blake. Although Blake holds out for a while, he collapses after the attacking presence is scared off by the returning agents.

When the others learn of the intrusion, they prepare to move their operation elsewhere. However, they tell Blake a little more about the crosstime secret and their mission to catch a power-mad renegade. Blake learns just enough to pretend to be totally ignorant of the true mission when he later falls into the hands of the opposition.

Quest Crosstime (1965) is the second SF novel in this series. Marva disappeared from the Project. Although her personnel disk indicates that she is well, her twin sister Marfy cannot reach her mind. So the detector is wrong.

Blake travels to the sterile timeline of the Project to deliver a minor instrument and to check up of the girls. When he arrives, neither girl is in the camp. Marfy is out in the storm and Marva is supposedly away in the helicopter.

When the storm lets up, Blake meets Marfy out by the rocks. She explains her concern over Marva and asks to return with him to Vroom. Then the Project loses contact with the helicopter.

Blake and Marfy take his crosstime shuttle back to headquarters, but it loses the settings and slips out into an unknown timeline. Blake checks the controls and finds them damaged beyond repair. Then they are attacked by intelligent turtles and lizards. Finally another shuttle detects their emergency beacon and takes them back to headquarters.

While not the first of their type, these novels are an early example of travel between probability universes or alternate timelines, such as in Smith's The Probability Broach. It did precede Piper's Paratime and Laumer's Imperium series by a few years but has a similar premise. These works also influenced Turtledove's Crosstime Traffic novels.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alternate timelines, political intrigue, and personal courage.

-Arthur W. Jordin

"The Crossroads of Time" (1956) is the first of two volumes, here combined into "Crosstime," concerning Blake Walker's adventures on alternate Earths. Blake, a 1950s citizen of our own Earth is accidentally caught up in the chase for a telepathic psychopath who is looking for an alternate Earth to rule.

This is a solid adventure about a brave band of Time Wardens, who have sworn to protect alternate Earths from manipulation by sociopaths. Blake is an appealing young man who is enlisted in the bizarre cross-world pursuit, almost against his will. He is tumbled from Earth to Earth, burnt, frozen, terrified at times and struggling to survive against ogres, robotic worms, and the renegade telepath. He finally lands in the ruins of New York City on an Earth where Hitler won the Battle of Britain. In an eerie echo of our own time, Blake joins the fight against evil with gritty New Yorkers who have survived both bombing and plague.

"Quest Crosstime (1965)" is the sequel to "The Crossroads of Time (1956)," and continues the adventures of Blake Walker and the Time Wardens.

Science has never been Norton's strong suit, so when the action shifts to an alternate Earth where life never began, don't quibble over the presence of a breathable atmosphere. Breathe in, breathe out, and follow Blake Walker as he attempts to track down a missing telepathic twin, with the help of her similarly-gifted sister.

"Quest Crosstime" is a wildly scenic adventure through alternate Earths. One of my favorites---a jewel-like vignette to the main plot---is ruled by turtles whose brainy heads are too large to pull back into their shells.

E6525, the alternate Earth where much of the action takes place, had a couple of twists to its history as compared to our own time line:

* Richard III won the Battle of Boswell and the Plantagenets continued to rule in England;
* Cortez was killed in his final battle with the Aztecs, and the Spanish never established an Empire in the New World.

Norton expends a great deal of imagination and verve in creating a successor Aztec Empire that rules North America west of the Mississippi. The action never falters as Blake in his disguise as a trader from New Britain continues his search for the missing twin.

Norton wrote many stories with sequels and many series. If you like these two stories you will probably also like the Beastmaster series, Solarqueen series, and the Time trader series. The first Norton story I read was The "Stars are Ours" and it captured my imagination and I recommend it along with some of her other very early work such as "Daybreak 2250", "Storm over Warlock", "Beastmaster" and its sequel "Lord of Thunder".

I truly enjoyed reading a new(to me) story by Andre Norton. The book was quite fun to read. Enjoy.

Orphan Blake Walker's unusual intuition has always set him apart from those who raised him and all he's known he prevented a murder based on one of these insights, for example. But his discovery of what revolved around the murder attempt and the other worlds it opened makes for an engrossing account in a reprint which blends to prior novels: CROSSROADS OF TIME and QUEST CROSSTIME. As any collection still owning Norton likely has aging paperbacks, this all-in-one package is a satisfying pick for new generations.

"The Crossroads of Time". Orphan Blake Walker is about to attend Havers as an art student, but currently resides in a nearby hotel waiting for school to begin. When he opens his door he sees a man holding a gun on another person. Blake intercedes and saves FBI Agent Mark Kittson who fears for the teen's safety so he takes him with him to a loft over a warehouse, where he meets three associates including Jason Saxton, who believes historical pivotal points lead to alternate timelines. When someone attacks Blake mentally from outside, the agent save his life before further explaining CROSSTIME, but not the full mission involving a rogue maniac.

"Quest Crosstime". Blake has become a full member of the CROSSTIME project. His assignment is to track down a missing telepathic twin with the help of her sister by traveling across a series of alternate earths formed during pivotal moments in the timeline. They find several odd places, but finally feel the mission is achievable when they reach earth E6525. Blake pretends to be a New Britain trader in a world where the Plantagenet rule modern day England because Richard III won the decisive Battle of Boswell and the Aztec Empire includes all of America west of the Mississippi River as the Spanish Empire never occurred nor did the Louisiana Purchase.

These are fun well written reprints from four or five decades ago (about the time of the most influential classic DC comic Flash of Two Worlds) that showcase the creativeness of late grandmaster Andre Norton in spite of the scientific background seeming obsolete. Each of the tales is entertaining with The Crossroads of Time more a coming of age story (a theme that Ms. Norton excelled at) and by Quest Crosstime he shows his leadership skills. Although the ending of the sequel leaves many threads hanging loose on E6525 and as far as I know no other time Crosstime novel was written, fans of the author will appreciate these fine enjoyable science fiction time thrillers.

Harriet Klausner